Brewing Friendship

I was inspired to create this quilt by seeing the eight-horse hitches at a county fair in New York. The horses were stunning, and all the flashy harnesses and highly polished wagons were absolutely mesmerizing. However, as much as I liked the fancy, aristocratic look of the horse teams at the fair, I wanted to do something more blue-collar.

There were two primary goals I kept in mind when designing this quilt: First, I wanted my horses to be working class instead of fancy show horses. I still liked the beer wagon, though, so the idea for an early morning delivery was born. Instead of depicting the actual delivery, though, the men in my quilt have stopped on their way to their first stop to check a problem with the harness of one of the rear horses. This sets the scene for my second goal.

I didn't want the main story to be all about the men in the wagon. Instead, the lead horses and farm dog are the primary focus. The unexpected stop to check the harness enables this farm dog and lead horse to meet and greet each other. Hence the name of the quilt, "Brewing Friendship". Meanwhile, the men in the background aren't even aware this interaction is taking place.

If you're intrested in seeing two videos that show how I cut all the fabric with my Cricut and how I assembled the lead horses, please take a look at this blog post.